What are Shinshu’s heirloom vegetables? Features, season, and ways to eat 54 main items out of the 79 certified explained

The heirloom vegetables of Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture) are a group of native varieties handed down within the elevation differences created by mountainous terrain—the Japanese Alps (Northern, Central, Southern), the Yatsugatake range, the Shiga Highlands, and the Kiso Valley.The Japan Traditional Vegetable Promotion Associationand Nagano Prefecture's "Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Certification System" have selected 85 items, including nationally famous items such as nozawana, nezumi daikon, Matsumoto ippon negi, teiza nasu, botagosho, and Togakushi daikon.

In this article, we organize 54 major items among Shinshu's 85 heirloom vegetables by category and explain 7 representative items in detail. We introduce native varieties that support Shinshu's food culture—Nozawaonsen Village, the birthplace of nozawana; the representative pungent daikon "nezumi daikon" (Sakaki Town); northern-Shinano vegetables such as Sakai-imo and Tokiwa gobo; and the giant eggplant of Tenryu Village, "teiza nasu."

The definition of "heirloom vegetable" and the scope of this article

There is no nationwide unified definition for "heirloom vegetable," and the criteria differ by certifying body. To help you understand this article's content accurately, we organize the criteria of major certifying bodies.

Certifying body	Main criteria
Kyoto Prefecture "Kyoto Heirloom Vegetables"	Cultivated in Kyoto from before the Meiji era and unique to Kyoto
Osaka Prefecture "Naniwa Heirloom Vegetables"	Cultivated within Osaka Prefecture from roughly 100 or more years ago
Nara Prefecture "Yamato Heirloom Vegetables"	Items whose production in Nara Prefecture is confirmed from before the war
Akita Prefecture "Akita Heirloom Vegetables"	Cultivated within the prefecture from before the Showa 30s
Yamagata Prefecture "Yamagata Heirloom Vegetables"	Cultivated within the prefecture from before Showa 20
Nagano Prefecture "Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Certification System"	Three items—provenance, food culture, and variety characteristics—with provenance being cultivation from before the Showo 30s

Nagano Prefecture has its own "Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Certification System," selecting 85 items. Of these, 56 items are certified as "heritage-site cultivation," carried on in their place of origin, with 51 producer groups certified. In this article, based on Nagano Prefecture's official "Shinshu Heirloom Vegetables" encyclopedia and information from the Japan Traditional Vegetable Promotion Association, we organize 54 major items and explain 7 representative items in detail.

What are Shinshu's heirloom vegetables? Native varieties raised by mountains, basins, and highlands

Although Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked inland prefecture without a sea, it is surrounded by the Northern Alps, Central Alps, Southern Alps, Yatsugatake, the Shiga Highlands, and the Kiso Mountains, and has topographic diversity—the Zenkoji Plain, Matsumoto Basin, Ina Basin, Saku Basin, and Kiso Valley. Because the elevation differences are large and heavy-snow zones and cold-highland areas coexist, the lineages of native vegetables are also wide-ranging.

The 10 regions and item distribution

Region	Representative items	Regional characteristics
Hokushin (Nozawaonsen, Iiyama, Nakano)	Nozawana, Sakai-imo, Tokiwa gobo, botankosho, shishikosho	The heavy-snow zone of the Shiga Highlands and the northern-Shinano mountains
Nagano (Nagano City, Suzaka, Chikuma, Sakaki, Obuse, Shinano Town)	Nezumi daikon, Togakushi daikon, Matsushiro ippon negi, Obuse marunasu, botagosho, Murayama wase gobo, Kurohime mochi morokoshi, Numame shirouri, Hacchō kyuri, Uwadaira daikon, Haibara pungent daikon	The Zenkoji Plain and the highlands of Togakushi and Shinano Town
Matsumoto (Matsumoto City, Yamagata Village, Azumino, Shiojiri)	Matsumoto ippon negi, Maki daikon, Inekoki-na, Bandokoro kyuri, Habuchi kiuri, Hodaira kabu, Hotaka ingen	The Matsumoto Basin and the gateway to Kamikochi
Kiso (Kiso Town, Agematsu Town, Otaki Village, Kiso Village, Nagiso Town)	Kaida kabu, Yoshino kabu, Ashijima kabu, Otaki kabu, Hosojima kabu, Mitake Kurose kabu, Akatatsu	The mountainous areas of the Kiso Valley
Minamishinshu (Ina, Iida, Shimoina)	Teiza nasu, Suzugasawa nasu, Shigeko nasu, Oyada pungent daikon, Akane daikon, Seinaiji kyuri, Seinaiji kabocha, Shimoguri-imo, Seinaiji ki-imo, Gensuke kabuna, Shimojo ninniku, Akaishi beni ninniku, Chiyo negi, Oshika togarashi, Suzugasawa uri	The mountain villages of the Southern Alps and the Tenryu River basin
Kamiina (Ina City)	Habiro-na	The eastern foot of the Central Alps
Suwa (Suwa City, Okaya, Chino)	Itokaya kabocha, Uwano daikon	The highlands around Lake Suwa
Saku (Komoro, Saku)	Saku kota kyuri, Sora nanban, Hishi no nanban	The Saku Basin and the foot of Mount Asama
Ueda (Ueda City)	Yamaguchi daikon	The basin in the upper reaches of the Chikuma River
Northern Alps (Ikeda Town)	Uchikama yugao	The eastern foot of the Northern Alps

Minamishinshu and the Nagano region have many items by count, and the Kiso region shows a composition specialized in "turnip types." With Hokushin featuring leafy and root vegetables characteristic of a heavy-snow zone, and Matsumoto featuring basin-type vegetables, the clear division of item composition by region is a feature of Shinshu.

Historical background—nationally famous native varieties such as nozawana and nezumi daikon

• Nozawana — synonymous with the pickling greens cultivated in Nozawaonsen Village. Known for the tradition that during the Horeki era (18th century), the head priest of Kenmeiji Temple brought back seeds of Osaka's Tennoji turnip while studying in Kyoto
• Nezumi daikon — the pungent daikon of Sakaki Town and Chikuma City. Characterized by a shape whose root tip extends like a mouse's tail and by intense pungency, it has supported the food culture of Shinshu soba as a condiment since the Edo period
• Matsumoto ippon negi — a native negi of Matsumoto City and Yamagata Village that develops a melting sweetness when heated
• Teiza nasu — a large eggplant cultivated in the Kanbara district of Tenryu Village. It grows to 25 cm long and over 400 g in weight, and is said to have begun cultivation when a local, Kyūkichi Taizawa, obtained it from a seed and seedling shop around Meiji 20
• Botagosho — a native chili pepper of Shinano Town. Its appearance resembles a bell pepper, but it has a distinctive flavor where heat and sweetness coexist

Shinshu's heirloom vegetables coexist as items that spread nationwide, like nozawana, and items that support regional food culture limited to their growing region, like nezumi daikon and teiza nasu. The wide item composition spanning 10 regions within the prefecture is known for its large number of items even among prefectural independent certification systems.

A list of Shinshu's 54 major heirloom vegetables and a seasonal calendar

Among the 85 items certified under the Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Certification System, this article organizes the 54 major items with well-established public information, by category. From eggplant, chili pepper, daikon, turnip, and cucumber to leafy greens, a diverse set of categories born of the regions and climate is assembled.

Eggplant types / chili pepper types

Item	Category	Growing region	Season
Shigeko nasu	Eggplant	Takagi Village	Early July–late October
Obuse marunasu	Eggplant (round)	Obuse Town	July–September
Suzugasawa nasu	Eggplant	Anan Town	July–September
Teiza nasu	Eggplant (large)	Tenryu Village	Mid-July–late October
Botagosho	Chili pepper	Shinano Town	Mid-July–late October
Shishikosho	Chili pepper	Sakae Village	Mid-July–late October
Oshika togarashi	Chili pepper	Oshika Village	Summer–autumn
Botankosho	Chili pepper	Nagano City, Nakano City Nagae	Mid-July–late October
Sora nanban	Chili pepper	Komoro City	Early July–late October
Hishi no nanban	Chili pepper	Komoro City	Mid-July–late October

Daikon types / turnip types

Item	Category	Growing region	Season
Uwadaira daikon	Daikon	Chikuma City Mori	September
Haibara pungent daikon	Pungent daikon	Nagano City Shinko-machi	Mid-October–mid-November
Maesaka daikon	Daikon	Yamanouchi Town	Mid-October–mid-November
Maki daikon	Daikon	Azumino City Hotaka	Early November–early December
Yamaguchi daikon	Daikon	Ueda City	Early–mid November
Akane daikon	Daikon (red-core)	Achi Village Seinaiji	Mid-June–mid-July, mid-October–mid-November
Togakushi daikon	Pungent daikon	Nagano City Togakushi	Mid-October–mid-November
Nezumi daikon	Pungent daikon	Sakaki Town, Chikuma City	Late October–November
Oyada pungent daikon	Pungent daikon	Shimojo Village	September–December
Uwano daikon	Daikon	Suwa City	Early–mid November
Yoshino kabu	Turnip	Agematsu Town	November–March
Kaida kabu	Turnip	Kiso Town Kaida Highlands	Mid-October–mid-November
Ashijima kabu	Turnip	Agematsu Town	November–March
Otaki kabu	Turnip	Otaki Village	Mid-October–mid-November
Hosojima kabu	Turnip	Kiso Village	Mid-October–mid-November
Hodaira kabu	Turnip	Matsumoto City Nagawa	Mid-October–mid-November
Mitake Kurose kabu	Turnip	Kiso Town Mitake	Mid-October–mid-November

Cucumber types / gourd types / squash

Item	Category	Growing region	Season
Habuchi kiuri	Cucumber	Shiojiri City Niekawa	Early July–September
Numame shirouri	Gourd (uri)	Suzaka City Numame	July–August
Saku kota kyuri	Cucumber	Saku City	Early July–late October
Seinaiji kyuri	Cucumber	Achi Village Seinaiji	Mid-July–late August
Hacchō kyuri	Cucumber	Suzaka City	Late June–September
Bandokoro kyuri	Cucumber	Matsumoto City Azumi	August
Uchikama yugao	Yugao (bottle gourd)	Ikeda Town Aizome	Mid-July–end of September
Suzugasawa uri	Gourd (uri)	Anan Town	July–September
Itokaya kabocha	Squash	Suwa region	Early September–late November
Seinaiji kabocha	Squash	Achi Village Seinaiji	Mid-August–late September

Potato types / bean types / root vegetables / grains

Item	Category	Growing region	Season
Shimoguri-imo	Potato	Iida City Kamimura	Late July–mid-August
Seinaiji ki-imo	Potato	Achi Village Seinaiji	Mid–late July
Sakai-imo	Taro	Iiyama City Kijima	Early September–mid-November
Tokiwa gobo	Burdock	Iiyama City	October
Murayama wase gobo	Burdock	Suzaka City	Mid-August–late November
Akatatsu	Bean type	Nagiso Town	Mid-October
Hotaka ingen	Common bean	Azumino City Hotaka	Late June–early November
Kurohime mochi morokoshi	Corn	Shinano Town	Early August–late September

Leafy greens / negi types / garlic

Item	Category	Growing region	Season
Matsushiro ippon negi	Negi	Nagano City Matsushiro-machi	November–December
Matsumoto ippon negi	Negi	Matsumoto City, Yamagata Village	Mid-October–early February of the following year
Chiyo negi	Negi	Iida City	Late September–mid-January of the following year
Shimojo ninniku	Garlic	Shimojo Village	July–September
Akaishi beni ninniku	Garlic	Takagi Village	July–November
Gensuke kabuna	Leafy green (kabuna)	Iida, Shimoina	Mid-October–mid-December
Inekoki-na	Leafy green (pickling greens)	Matsumoto City Azumi	Mid-November
Nozawana	Leafy green (kabuna)	Nozawaonsen Village	Mid-June–September, late October–late November
Habiro-na	Leafy green	Ina City Nishiminowa	Mid-October–mid-November

The features and ways to eat 7 representative Shinshu heirloom vegetables

From among the 85 items, we selected 7 representative items based on name recognition, distribution volume, and influence on food culture.

Nozawana — synonymous with nationally famous pickling greens

Season	Late October–late November (harvest); processed products year-round
Growing region	Nozawaonsen Village, Shimotakai District
Well-suited dishes	Nozawana pickles, stir-fries, oyaki, soba accompaniment

Nozawana is a large leafy green originating in Nozawaonsen Village and a native leafy green of Shinshu with nationwide name recognition. According to legend, during the Horeki era (18th century), the head priest of Kenmeiji Temple in Nozawaonsen Village brought back seeds of Osaka's Tennoji turnip while studying in Kyoto, and it adapted to the climate of northern Shinano and developed as a leafy green. On the other hand, there is also research finding that a direct lineage relationship with the Tennoji turnip cannot be confirmed by genetic analysis, and investigation is proceeding on both the origin story and the variety characteristics.

The salt-pickled "nozawana pickles" are a standard Shinshu souvenir, letting you enjoy a crisp bite and umami from fermentation. It is also standard in Nagano's oyaki (with stir-fried nozawana as a filling) and as a soba accompaniment, an ingredient indispensable to Shinshu cuisine.

Nezumi daikon — the pungent condiment of Shinshu soba

Season	Late October–November
Growing region	Sakaki Town, Chikuma City
Well-suited dishes	Oshibori udon, grated daikon, pickles, condiment

Nezumi daikon is a pungent daikon with intense heat and a distinctive shape whose root tip extends thin like a mouse's tail. Grown in the sandy loam along the Chikuma River in Sakaki Town and Chikuma City, when grated it produces a pungency strong enough to bring tears.

The representative way to eat it is "oshibori udon," a local dish of Sakaki Town in which you dip udon into a dipping broth made by dissolving miso into the pressed juice of nezumi daikon, savoring the heat and sweetness. During the harvest season of late October–November, fresh nezumi daikon lines up at Michi-no-Eki Sakaki, and during the season it is distributed mainly locally.

Matsumoto ippon negi — a native negi that is sweet when heated

Season	Mid-October–early February of the following year
Growing region	Matsumoto City, Yamagata Village, Higashichikuma District
Well-suited dishes	Hot pot, sukiyaki, grilled negi, soups

Matsumoto ippon negi is a native negi with a thick white stalk handed down in the Matsumoto Basin. Through a distinctive cultivation method called "bent planting," in which negi planted once is pulled out in summer, laid down, and replanted, the white stalk grows bent and tender.

Because it develops a distinctive strong sweetness when heated, its qualities stand out in hot pot, sukiyaki, and grilled negi. It lines up at JA direct-sales outlets in Matsumoto and Yamagata Village in winter, and is also shipped nationwide via hometown tax outside Nagano Prefecture.

Teiza nasu — the large eggplant of Tenryu Village

Season	Mid-July–late October
Growing region	Tenryu Village, Shimoina District
Well-suited dishes	Dengaku, grilled eggplant, agebitashi, stir-fries

Teiza nasu is a large eggplant cultivated in the Kanbara district of Tenryu Village in Minamishinshu; according to Nagano Prefecture's official materials, it is 25 cm long and over 400 g in weight, with large ones reaching over 30 cm long and over 1 kg in weight. Around Meiji 20, a local, Kyūkichi Taizawa, obtained it from a seed and seedling shop and began cultivation, and Tenryu Village's warm climate and sloped-terrain soil have raised it. Its skin is thin and its flesh tender, becoming a melting texture when heated.

Made into dengaku or grilled eggplant, its enormous size makes a hearty dish, and its flesh's tenderness stands out in agebitashi too. It lines up at Tenryu Village and nearby direct-sales outlets only in summer–autumn, and its visual impact makes it popular with tourists too.

Botagosho — the bell-pepper-shaped chili pepper of Shinano Town

Season	Mid-July–late October
Growing region	Shinano Town, Kamiminochi District
Well-suited dishes	Miso stir-fry, stuffed with meat, grilled and marinated, soy-sauce pickle

Botagosho is a native chili pepper of a shape resembling a bell pepper, cultivated in Shinano Town. The flesh portion has bell-pepper-like sweetness and texture, but there is intense heat around the seeds, and individual variation is also large. In Shinshu it is a representative native chili pepper alongside the "botankosho" of Nakano City Nagae.

Removing the seeds restrains the heat, and its flesh's sweetness comes alive in stuffed-with-meat, grilled-and-marinated, and miso-stir-fry dishes. The spicy miso stir-fry using the seeds and all is a local standard dish, obtainable at Shinano Town's direct-sales outlets and roadside stations only in summer–autumn.

Togakushi daikon — the pungent condiment of Togakushi soba

Season	Mid-October–mid-November
Growing region	Nagano City Togakushi
Well-suited dishes	Condiment for Togakushi soba, grated daikon, simmered dishes

Togakushi daikon is a pungent daikon cultivated in the Togakushi district of Nagano City (a highland at around 1,000 m elevation). Though not as intense as nezumi daikon, it has a good balance of aroma and moderate pungency and has long been prized as the grated daikon served with Togakushi soba.

It is incorporated into the tourist route of Togakushi Shrine worship and Togakushi soba, and in the autumn season the soba restaurants of the Togakushi district serve grated daikon of this variety. It is an all-purpose pungent daikon whose dense flesh comes alive even in simmered dishes.

Obuse marunasu — the round eggplant of Obuse Town

Season	July–September
Growing region	Obuse Town, Kamitakai District
Well-suited dishes	Simmered dishes, oyaki, dengaku, pickles

Obuse marunasu is a native round eggplant of Obuse Town, known for chestnuts and Hokusai. Palm-sized and spherical with dense flesh, it holds its shape even when simmered, and is used as an ingredient in Obuse's local dish "nasu no oyaki."

Obuse Town is famous as a tourist destination, and this round eggplant can also be enjoyed at summer direct-sales outlets and local-cuisine restaurants. It is one of the representative items in the round-eggplant category among Nagano-produced eggplants, and is sometimes discussed alongside Kyoto's Kamo nasu.

How to purchase Shinshu heirloom vegetables and tips for storage

Shinshu's heirloom vegetables are mainly obtained via growing-region JA direct-sales outlets, roadside stations, hometown tax, and processed-product mail order. Items such as nozawana pickles, Matsumoto ippon negi, nezumi daikon, and teiza nasu are sometimes also handled at antenna shops and product fairs in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

In-prefecture direct-sales outlets / roadside stations

Item	Main sources	Timing
Nozawana	Nozawaonsen Village direct-sales outlets / roadside stations	October–November (pickles year-round)
Nezumi daikon	JA direct-sales outlets in Sakaki Town and Chikuma City	Late October–November
Matsumoto ippon negi	Matsumoto / Yamagata Village JA direct-sales outlets	October–February of the following year
Teiza nasu	Direct-sales outlets within Tenryu Village	July–October
Botagosho	Michi-no-Eki Shinano, direct-sales outlets within Shinano Town	July–October
Togakushi daikon	Direct-sales outlets in Togakushi, Nagano City	October–November
Obuse marunasu	Direct-sales outlets within Obuse Town	July–September

Mail order / hometown tax to outside the prefecture

• Nozawana pickles — distributed year-round in Nozawaonsen Village and at product fairs and mail order nationwide
• Nezumi daikon — shipped in November only as a Sakaki Town hometown tax return gift
• Matsumoto ippon negi — shipped in winter as a Matsumoto City hometown tax return gift
• Teiza nasu — summer only as a Tenryu Village hometown tax return gift
• Processed products — nozawana oyaki, nezumi daikon grated, botagosho miso, and the like are distributed year-round

Storage methods by item

Item	Short-term storage	Long-term storage
Nozawana	Moisten and keep 3 days in the vegetable compartment	A few months as nozawana pickles
Nezumi daikon	Wrap in newspaper and keep 1 week in the vegetable compartment	Kiriboshi (dried strips) / freeze (2 weeks)
Matsumoto ippon negi	Wrap in newspaper and keep 1 week in the vegetable compartment	Chop and freeze (1 month)
Teiza nasu	Wrap in newspaper and keep 3–5 days in the vegetable compartment	As agebitashi, 3 days chilled, 1 month frozen
Botagosho	In a poly bag, 5 days in the vegetable compartment	1 month or more as a miso pickle
Togakushi daikon	Wrap in newspaper and keep 1 week in the vegetable compartment	Kiriboshi (dried strips) / freeze (2 weeks)
Obuse marunasu	Wrap in newspaper and keep 3–5 days in the vegetable compartment	2 weeks as pickles

Initiatives to protect Shinshu's heirloom vegetables

To maintain the 85 native varieties, activities in which Nagano Prefecture, JA Nagano, the various municipalities, and producer groups collaborate are advancing.

The Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Certification System and heritage-site cultivation certification

Efforts	Details
Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Certification System	Certifies items meeting three criteria—provenance, food culture, and variety characteristics—with provenance being items cultivated from before the Showa 30s. 85 items selected
Heritage-site cultivation certification	Officially certifies, for 56 of the 85 items, cultivation carried on in the place of origin. 51 producer groups have obtained certification
Oishii Shinshu Food official website	An information platform operated by the prefecture. Posts details for each certified item
Regional branding	JA and municipalities actively promote nozawana, nezumi daikon, Matsumoto ippon negi, teiza nasu, and the like

Nagano Prefecture's "Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Certification System" is large in scale even among the nation's prefectural independent certification systems, and its certification criteria are clear. By combining heritage-site cultivation certification, it builds a mechanism to protect native varieties on both the growing-region and variety fronts.

FAQ

Other regional specialty varieties

This article organized 54 major items in detail, but the Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Certification System has selected 85 items. The following are items not covered in the main text, among those with limited distribution information.

Item	Category	Notes
About 31 items among the 85 certified items not featured in this article	Various	Details can be confirmed in the "Shinshu Heirloom Vegetables" encyclopedia on Nagano Prefecture's "Oishii Shinshu Food" official website

Summary

Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture)'s 85 heirloom vegetables have been handed down across 10 regions within mountainous terrain such as the Japanese Alps, Yatsugatake, the Shiga Highlands, and the Kiso Valley. As a prefecture-specific certification system, it has one of the largest numbers of items in the nation. Nationally famous items are assembled—nozawana, nezumi daikon, Matsumoto ippon negi, teiza nasu, botagosho, Togakushi daikon, Obuse marunasu, and more.

In summer, eggplant and chili pepper types; in autumn, turnip and daikon types; and from winter to early spring, leafy greens and negi types—Shinshu's native varieties line up through all four seasons. Through roadside stations, hometown tax, and antenna shops, you can bring the native varieties raised by the mountainous prefecture of Shinshu to your home table.

References / information sources

• Nagano Prefecture "Oishii Shinshu Food: Shinshu Heirloom Vegetable Encyclopedia" — official information on the 85 certified items
• Japan Traditional Vegetable Promotion Association "Heirloom Vegetables of Nagano Prefecture" — introduction of the certification system
• National Agriculture and Food Research Organization Genebank "Native Variety Database" — information on native varieties nationwide

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